Former India cricketer Karsan Ghavri feels Virat Kohli can't sit on past laurels and needs to perform in order to remain in the Indian team. Speaking exclusively to Jagran TV, Ghavri, who played 39 Tests and 19 ODIs, said even the greats of the game can be questioned if they don't perform for long. "Virat Kohli is such a great player for India but unfortunately for the last two years, we have seen him getting caught behind or caught in the slips while chasing the delivery outside the off stump. He has to look at this and improve. He has to restrict those shots because if he keeps going like this and getting out and not getting runs, there comes a question mark - why is he not scoring?" Ghavri told Jagran TV.

Kohli has been nowhere near his best for the last two years and his prolonged slump is only making the situation worse for him. Kohli has not scored a hundred in over 100 innings in all forms of cricket, including the IPL. His last century came against Bangladesh in 2019.

Kohli dropped to 13th in the latest ICC Test batsmen ranking after managing scores of 11 and 20 against England in the Edgbaston Test.

"He has to prove his form in the current series. These days you can't play for long riding on your name. Virat is a great player but only his name will not work. He has to perform and score runs. This is how it goes. Everybody understands that he is going through a rough patch and it happens with every player. He has the hunger for runs, hunger for success in his heart but his personal form is quite disappointing," Ghavri added.

Ghavri, who played in the 1975 and 1979 World Cup, feels that age is not a concern for Kohli if his performance is intact.

"Age has got nothing to do with sports as long as you are fit enough to compete. But if you are not doing well and you are 35, then people will start questioning you," he said.

Ghavri also spoke about Hardik Pandya's terrific resurgence in international cricket following a long injury layoff.

On Thursday, Hardik slammed his maiden T20I fifty and took four wickets to help India beat England by 50 runs in the opening game of the three-match series.

"There's no doubt about Hardik Pandya being a fine cricketer and after a long time, India has found a good all-rounder in him. There are no doubts over his cricketing abilities. He bowls beautifully, bats well and scores runs at the right time. Plus, he is a very safe fielder just like the State Bank of India. I feel we definitely need such an all-rounder," Ghavri told Jagran TV.

"We used to feel that Shardul Thakur is also a good all-rounder but he is not consistent. But Hardik is a very consistent player in any format of the game, especially with the white ball and after winning the IPL as captain, I think he is improving every day. He is gradually going forward. It's a very good sign for Indian cricket," he added.

However, Ghavri, who picked 109 wickets in 39 Tests, feels Hardik still has a long way to go before he can be compared to Kapil Dev.

"People do compare him with Kapil Dev but I think he has a long way to go before he can be compared with Kapil Dev. Kapil Dev was a different breed altogether and his records and stats speak volumes for him. So, it is not right to compare Hardik with Kapil Dev yet," he concluded.

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